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Literally, of course, it's still possible. But taking into account the average person's limitations in terms of time and money, is it practical?

When I first discovered Final Fantasy in the mid-90's it completed changed my perception of what a game could be, and I was determined to play all the games in the series and any other Square games I could get my hands on. It didn't seem like a daunting task at the time. In the U.S. we had one NES game, three SNES games if you count Mystic Quest, and four Game Boy games with Final Fantasy in the title even though none of them were actually Final Fantasy games.

Fast forward twenty years later, and I can't keep up with all the games under the Final Fantasy brand! It almost seems like a pointless task. The numbered series includes online only games. There are direct sequels and countless spin-offs. There are new FF games not part of the numbered series like Dimensions. Then there are all the remakes for different systems. I'm not sure I could even name all the Final Fantasy games anymore, let alone try to play all of them.

That's a very good question. I don't know that it would be feasible for me, and beyond that, some of them just don't appeal to me, so I don't bother with them.

I think the first time I said 'no' to a game that was FF-related but not mainline FF was Kingdom Hearts. My roommate in Japan played it, and I just didn't see the appeal. FFX2 burned me bad on the idea of direct sequel. I've been mulling the idea of FFIV: The After Years for a bit now, though...so maybe, just maybe, I'll give the concept another shot.

But I fear that line of thinking is veering off topic, so...hm. I don't necessarily consider the remakes different games, myself. In the case of VI, for instance, I view the SNES and PSX versions (the latter of which, I believe, retained the Woolsey script) as original and enhanced port, and I view the GBA as a variant translation. But all of them are still VI, just as three different publication runs of, say, Dante's Inferno would all be the Inferno, just in different translations or with different embellishments, cuts, or editorial interpretations.

So in those cases I will tend to play the version that sits better with me--Slattery's script for VI, for instance, and the Dawn of Souls rendition of II. With different games altogether, I give them a long, hard look an decide if the concept is appealing before I jump in. Otherwise, they end up like my copy of Tactics Advance: unloved and collecting dust on the shelf because I felt like I had to play it or I'd be a bad FF fan.

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I once though I'd do this.

I played FFIV, then FFVI, then FFV. Even saw FFtSW.

Then I got halfway through FFIII, started FFI briefly but dropped it, didn't enjoy FFII and dropped that quickly, and got someways into FFVII but the PC copy crashed for me so I stopped. Also got tired of spending half an hour a battle in FFTA with a paper spreadsheet in front of me. Also dropped FFMQ after about halfway.

Then I heard that FFXI was an MMO and I decided...okay, never mind this idea.

I still would like to finish FFIII and play FFT, though. Also curious about FFU.

This post has been edited by Glenn Magus Harvey on 31st May 2014 07:49

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Never had any real desire to do that anyway for this or any series. I judge each game individually on whether it's likely to be of interest and worth my time or money. It's not like there's any continuity issues either regarding a story by skipping games, so even less to worry about.

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I'l talk about Money.

Well, alot of them are on IOS now, bringing the price down from the original versions by A bit, I've seen Final Fantasy (the first one) going for £100 on ebay, whereas now you can get IOS versions for a much lower price.

But i know not all of them are on IOS, like FF7 and onwards, so the price is still big

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Excuse me? Would you mind not talking while I'm interupting?

Quote (HolyCeles @ 31st May 2014 00:36)

But i know not all of them are on IOS, like FF7 and onwards, so the price is still big

Most of the Final Fantasy games that were released on PS1 are available for download on PSN, and typically go for $9.99. In some cases that is cheaper than the version on iOS/Android because the mobile versions are remakes, so the price is higher. FF6 on Android is $15.99 by comparison.

For me, the bigger problem is not having time to play the games I want. But let's face it, even at $10-$15 a piece, paying for all those different games in all their different versions would really start to add up!

Well, when you're talking about "an average person's limitations on time and money" you're probably thinking about yourself. For anyone considering a similar question, one would consider one's on circumstances first. You're an adult with a job and other adult responsibilities. Most of us that grew up with videogames had immense amounts of time to play them (summer vacations, gaming-loaded weekends, etc.), and kids today have more access to FF games than ever.

I believe it's possible. If a younger person today became enchanted with a particular FF game and made it his or her mission to play every Final Fantasy game, he or she could do it. It would take several years and a few hundred dollars, but it could be done. There's also games emulation there facilitating the process. I know of a few (VERY few) younger gamers that are into retro RPGs and are discovering some of these games for the first time, but those are anecdotes and not the rule, of course. Don't underestimate young people or the internet.

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Quote (MetroidMorphBall @ 1st June 2014 00:26)

Quote (HolyCeles @ 31st May 2014 00:36)

But i know not all of them are on IOS, like FF7 and onwards, so the price is still big

Most of the Final Fantasy games that were released on PS1 are available for download on PSN, and typically go for $9.99. In some cases that is cheaper than the version on iOS/Android because the mobile versions are remakes, so the price is higher. FF6 on Android is $15.99 by comparison.

For me, the bigger problem is not having time to play the games I want. But let's face it, even at $10-$15 a piece, paying for all those different games in all their different versions would really start to add up!

Huh? I got FF6 for £8.99!

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Excuse me? Would you mind not talking while I'm interupting?

Personally, I would love to be able to play through one version of each of the non-MMO, non-sequel core Final Fantasy games. To do this, though, I believe I'd have to buy a significant number of them. I don't actually know how many of them I have, which makes it more difficult.

As for whether or not its possible to do? Totally, if you're willing to make the time for it.

Quote (HolyCeles @ 1st June 2014 01:29)

Huh? I got FF6 for £8.99!

Which with currency exchange rates comes out to about $15, so nearly the same price.

Quote (Suunok @ 1st June 2014 11:52)

Personally, I would love to be able to play through one version of each of the non-MMO, non-sequel core Final Fantasy games. To do this, though, I believe I'd have to buy a significant number of them. I don't actually know how many of them I have, which makes it more difficult.

As for whether or not its possible to do? Totally, if you're willing to make the time for it.

Would FFXIII count on its own or would it need its sequels to be counted as a whole?

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Check the "What games are you playing at the moment?" thread for updates on what I've been playing.

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Quote (Glenn Magus Harvey @ 2nd June 2014 06:02)

Would FFXIII count on its own or would it need its sequels to be counted as a whole?

I'm inclined to say its sequels wouldn't need to be counted, for the same reason I'd rather pretend FFX-2 doesn't exist. If I include the FFXIII sequels, I'll feel obligated to play X-2. =P

Quote (MetroidMorphBall @ 31st May 2014 20:26)

For me, the bigger problem is not having time to play the games I want. But let's face it, even at $10-$15 a piece, paying for all those different games in all their different versions would really start to add up!

For me, this train kind of goes off the rails once one starts talking about "all their different versions." There have been a lot of games in the series for which I have played and/or owned various versions: I, IV, VI, Tactics, at least. In most cases, I wouldn't recommend that anyone who is just starting this task bother with more than one version, as the versions that have come out over the years are almost universally better than the ones that proceeded them.

My thought on that might be clouded by the fact that I've been around so long - as someone who was around and actively playing RPGs by the series' inception, I would have no urge to go out looking for a working cart or even a ROM of FF1 or FF2US, because I already have them. It's probably easier for me to dismiss those versions because been there, done that. It's not to say that I wouldn't recommend playing them for their own reasons, it is more that for me I don't have a compelling reason to go back to them myself because they don't offer me new experiences now, and I already have PSP or GBA versions of the games I mentioned above to go to.

I, like MMB, also don't have the time to pick up that many new games - especially RPGs or other games that require more than a 15 or 20 hour time commitment to fully enjoy. I have a lot of strikes against gaming as much as I might consider doing - a wife who is not a gamer, a daughter who likes watching me play but is way too young to do it for more than a bit at a time, a general distaste for playing handhelds when I'm sitting on my own couch, things like that. Those are all personal choices that I've made over time, but I'm happy with those choices and if that means I'm never going to be one of the people suggested in the OP, I'm cool with that. It's a great time to be a gamer, one of my coworkers IMed me this morning, and with that means that nobody really has the freedom to ingest every gaming experience they might want to. If that means I never get back around to playing XII, them's the breaks! It would be fun but I'm definitely not going to hang any hat on it.

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Quote (Rangers51)

For me, this train kind of goes off the rails once one starts talking about "all their different versions." There have been a lot of games in the series for which I have played and/or owned various versions: I, IV, VI, Tactics, at least. In most cases, I wouldn't recommend that anyone who is just starting this task bother with more than one version, as the versions that have come out over the years are almost universally better than the ones that proceeded them.

That's a really solid point. In terms of translation quality and accuracy, there have been a ton of improvements, and I would in no way recommend anyone, say, get on eBay and spend $100+ on a SNES cart of FF3US when Slattery's translation of VI is much better. I have issues with some of the sound cues in the GBA cart version being mis-timed, but I'm just grumpy about those things, and not everyone will be. But aside from discussion or straight nostalgia, I've got little reason myself to ever play through Woolsey's version again when there's better available.

That's even more the case for me with IV. FF2US might hold some nostalgic appeal, but I've got far better options if I want to go hang out with Cecil and friends for a while now. In games like I, the remakes, IMO, make them an easier gaming experience (MP instead of spell slots, etc.), so I'm all about that. I've never been the kind of gamer who went in for the things like the beat-Chaos-with-only-[whatever] type challenges. I've always been in it for the story, and if something helps me enjoy the story with fewer bugs, a better translation, and less grinding, I'm all for it.

Quote (Rangers51)

a general distaste for playing handhelds when I'm sitting on my own couch

Same here! I've found my best workaround for the GBA was to invest in a used GameCube and its GameBoy Player, which lets me use my TV. Certain salvation for my eyeballs! IIRC, later models of the PSP had a video-out option for TV play, so provided I ever get around to picking one up, I'm almost certain to go that way. Now if only there was an option to play DS games on a TV. I'd buy a WiiU in a heartbeat if it had that ability.

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For what it's worth, if emulation is allowed, then accomplishing the feat of playing all the FF games may be slightly quickened by using "turbo" features on the emulators.

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Check the "What games are you playing at the moment?" thread for updates on what I've been playing.

You can find me on the Fediverse! I use Mastodon, where I am @[email protected] ( https://sakurajima.moe/@glennmagusharvey )

I've stopped forcing myself to play the Final Fantasy games I do not like FF1, FF2, FF3, FF11, FF12, FF13.

The reason I went so deep into the world of Final Fantasy as a kid was because all my friends had moved during a white flight and it was to dangerous for me to live my house. A white boy who is not trained in living in the hood is open to be robbed, raped, all the above.

FF6 is what Skyrim is to many now. That was my world I could escape to.

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Also, I seek more of my own challenges/adventures these days.

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